ArticleBMJ open2018
Comparison of attitudes towards five end-of-life care interventions (active pain control, withdrawal of futile life-sustaining treatment, passive euthanasia, active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide): a multicentred cross-sectional survey of Korean patients with cancer, their family caregivers, physicians and the general Korean population.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Attitudes of undergraduate medical students towards end-of-life decisions: a systematic review of influencing factors.BMC medical education · 2025Pooled it
- Does experience of a significant other's death affect Korean older adults' end-of-life care planning by encouraging death talks?BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Confusion in Terminology Related to End-of-Life Decisions: Euthanasia, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment: A Survey of Korean Public.Journal of Korean medical science · 2025Article
- Lay views in Southern France of the acceptability of refusing to provide treatment because of alleged futility.BMC medical ethics · 2025Article
- Psychosocial Factors Associated With Thoughts Regarding Life-Sustaining Treatment for Oneself and Family Members.Psychiatry investigation · 2024Article
- For the Universal Right to Access Quality End-of-Life Care in Korea: Broadening Our Perspective After the 2018 Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions Act.Journal of Korean medical science · 2024Article
- Ethical dilemmas and legal ambiguity in China: a chain mediation model linking suicide rumination, legitimization, and acceptance among acutely-ill adults.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Attitudes toward the Legalization of Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- General population-based study on preferences towards end-of-life care in Southern Thailand: a cross-sectional survey.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Attitudes about withholding or withdrawing life-prolonging treatment, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and physician assisted suicide: a cross-sectional survey among the general public in Croatia.BMC medical ethics · 2022Article
- Current Status and Cardinal Features of Patient Autonomy after Enactment of the Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions Act in Korea.Cancer research and treatment · 2021Article
- Medical Faculty Students' Views on Euthanasia: Does It Change With Medical Education?Alpha psychiatry · 2021Article
- Article
- Effects of Educative Materials on Doctors' Intention to Initiate Life-Saving Procedures After a Suicide Attempt: Randomised Controlled Trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Spanish Version of the Attitude Towards Euthanasia Scale.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- End-of-life care preferences of the general public and recommendations of healthcare providers: a nationwide survey in Japan.BMC palliative care · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issuedCorrection:2019
Authors and funding
18 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study determined attitudes of four groups-Korean patients with cancer, their family caregivers, physicians and the general Korean population-towards five critical end-of-life (EOL) interventions-active pain control, withdrawal of futile life-sustaining treatment (LST), passive euthanasia, active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. DESIGN AND
settingWe enrolled 1001 patients with cancer and 1006 caregivers from 12 large hospitals in Korea, 1241 members of the general population and 928 physicians from each of the 12 hospitals and the Korean Medical Association. We analysed the associations of demographic factors, attitudes towards death and the important components of a 'good death' with critical interventions at EoL care.
resultsAll participant groups strongly favoured active pain control and withdrawal of futile LST but differed in attitudes towards the other four EoL interventions. Physicians (98.9%) favoured passive euthanasia more than the other three groups. Lower proportions of the four groups favoured active euthanasia or PAS. Multiple logistic regression showed that education (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.77, 95% CI 1.33 to 2.36), caregiver role (aOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.34 to 2.08) and considering death as the ending of life (aOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.61) were associated with preference for active pain control. Attitudes towards death, including belief in being remembered (aOR 2.03, 95% CI 1.48 to 2.79) and feeling 'life was meaningful' (aOR 2.56, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.15) were both strong correlates of withdrawal of LST with the level of monthly income (aOR 2.56, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.15). Believing 'freedom from pain' negatively predicted preference for passive euthanasia (aOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.85). In addition, 'not being a burden to the family' was positively related to preferences for active euthanasia (aOR 1.62, 95% CI 1.39 to 1.90) and PAS (aOR 1.61, 95% CI 1.37 to 1.89).
conclusionGroups differed in their attitudes towards the five EoL interventions, and those attitudes were significantly associated with various attitudes towards death.
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